Memorial for George Washington

1800

Enoch G. Gridley

Associated Names
Enoch G. Gridley

Artist, American, active 1803 - 1818

John Coles, Jr.

Artist After, American, c. 1778 - 1854

The image depicts various figures in a symbolic illustration. A central pedestal showcases a portrait of a man, potentially George Washington, labeled "Pater Patriae." Surrounding the portrait are allegorical figures, including cherubs and a female figure near a canon and a helmeted warrior's head. A soldier in uniform stands beside them. The background features a rounded arch and sky. An inscription below the pedestal honors George Washington.

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Artwork overview

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(Stephen V. Nagy, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania); Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 1953; acquired 2015 by the National Gallery of Art

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1963

  • Progress of An American Collection, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 1963

1981

  • Early America on Paper: Prints and Drawings, 1750-1850, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 1981

  • The World Turned Upside Down, Daughters of the American Revolution Museum, Washington, DC, 1981-1982

1989

  • Hail, Washington, Daughters of the American Revolution Museum, Washington, DC, 1989

Inscriptions

text on monument in plate:
Sacred to the Memory of the / truly Illustrious / GEORGE WASHINGTON, Renowned in / War, Great in the Senate, and / possessed of every Qualification / to render him worthy of the Title of / a GREAT and GOOD MAN. / BORN Feb. 22, 1732. Ob. Dec. 14, 1799.

Wikidata ID

Q77013520